Julian burst into the room and knelt by her side. “Raelyn, are you alright?” He used a scalpel to cut away the tubes holding her in place. With gentle hands, Julian helped her sit up. At first, Raelyn stared at the floor, coughing while she regained her breath. Then she looked up.
Julian’s aura quivered, shifting quickly from worry, to distress, to nervousness.
Her brain stopped short.
He has an aura!
On her periphery, Raelyn saw Hineker approach. The dark, dangerous energy continued to surround him.
“Master Julian,” Hineker said, impatient, “we must leave at once.”
“I know,” Julian muttered, helping Raelyn to her feet. His aura quivered, shifting with uncertainty and resignation. He didn’t want to do what Hineker asked, but he’d accepted that he had to.
“Y-you,” Raelyn stammered, confused by her senses. The energy surrounding the two men was as clear to her as if it had always been there. Which made absolutely no sense. She’d never seen auras on these two before. Raelyn could only stare. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two.
A smirk tilted the corner of Hineker’s lips. His stance broadened and he puffed out his chest. “Like what you see?” he asked, wryly.
His aura was a potent presence of danger, evil, and pleasure. It was both intoxicating and overwhelming. Her head swam underneath the onslaught of energy taking away her conscious thought.
“Y-your aura,” Raelyn whispered, her voice hoarse. She brought a hand up to her head, fighting to remain focused.
“Hineker, turn it off,” Julian ordered, annoyed.
“As you wish, Master.”
It was like the flip of a switch. One moment, Raelyn’s senses were overloaded, the next, nothing. The auras she’d seen so clearly mere seconds before vanished. It was like they’d never been there in the first place. Staring at Hineker, Raelyn saw the exact moment when his eyes changed from brilliant red, back to black.
“What are you?” Raelyn whispered, overwhelmed by what she’d just seen.
Hineker bent into a graceful bow. Pride carried in every word as he spoke, “I’m a Daemon Tamen Coercitor, or to put it simply for your human brain, an enforcer demon.”
“An enforcer what?” Raelyn’s mouth fell open. “Wait, did you just say you’re a demon?”
Hineker replied with a wicked grin.
She turned to Julian, anxious for his answer.
“You too?”
“No.”
Raelyn breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure how she’d have handled knowing that she’d slept with some type of supernatural creature.
“Okay,” she spoke out loud, trying to organize her thoughts. “An enforcer demon and a normal human.”
Hineker scoffed. Her gut twisted at the dark look the demon gave Julian and her eyes widened in alarm. Julian had admitted that he wasn’t a demon but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t something else instead. Her mind raced with the possibilities.
Julian’s gray eyes unnerved her, silently begging her not to ask.
“Master Julian,” Hineker prompted.
Julian rubbed the back of his neck, his discomfort obvious. Raelyn’s stomach sank to her feet. But, she’d been trying to figure out the mystery of this man from day one. She had to know.
“What are you?”
Julian vented a breath. “I’m a demon master.” He glared at Hineker. “His demon master.”
Raelyn blinked and shook her head. She was unable to form a coherent thought. “What does that even mean?”
It felt like she’d just stepped onto a bullet train with a one-way ticket to craziness. Murdering bodiless hands. Demons and demon masters.
This was madness.
Raelyn’s thoughts came to a halt. Was she really one to judge? After all, she saw and felt the emotional state of others and her best friend was a ghost. Considering her own strangeness, was it really that far-fetched to believe that demons and demon masters could exist too?
Raelyn rubbed her temples, her mind spinning in circles. Well, at least now she knew why Hineker always addressed Julian as Master. So, at least that was one question answered.
“Master Julian,” Hineker said, insistent, “we’re wasting time.”
Julian moved slowly, as if he was handling a skittish stray. “Raelyn, I know you’re really confused right now,” she flinched when he gently grasped her hand. “But, we need your help.”
“My help?” Her head snapped up. “For what?”
“The demon we’ve been looking for, we haven’t been able to find it. But you can.”
A demon and its master needed her help?
Raelyn’s felt like her brain was going to short circuit at any moment, having reached its daily quota for accepting bizarre and outrageous things.
“How?” she whispered.
“By tracking it.”
“I don’t…” Raelyn jerked, trying to break out of Julian’s hold. He didn’t let her. She felt the warmth and strength of his hand enveloping her own. “I don’t know how to do that.”
“Yes, you do.” Julian rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, a soothing gesture. “Your abilities have improved immensely. You can do this.”
Even if what he said was true, Raelyn wasn’t sure that she really wanted to do this. Getting close to this thing didn’t exactly sound like a good idea. This demon or whatever it was had just tried to kill her. Well, its hands had tried to kill her.
But then again, there was the fact that this creature did try to kill her. She should help Julian and his demon find it, right? They could stop it before it tried to attack again.
Raelyn groaned out loud. How did everything get so confusing so fast?
“I’ve never tried to find a demon before,” she muttered.
“I’ll be right by your side the entire time, guiding you through it.”
She realized that she was staring at him curiously.
“Demonic magic remains even when those who use it are gone, at least for a short time.” His soft lips kissed her knuckles, one by one. “You’re brave, and gorgeous, and you have super powers.” She smiled weakly at his words of praise. He skimmed his lips over her knuckles. It was a featherlight touch that filled her heart with warmth as he spoke. “You can see the energy. You can lead us to it.”
At his next words, her apprehension crumbled into a pile of dust.
“Please Raelyn. We can’t do this without you.”
Under his imploring gaze she gave in. It was hopeless. She was hopeless. She loved him and couldn’t deny it anymore. Demon master or not, she’d do anything that he asked her to.
Except, he didn’t need to know that, not yet. Why? Because a golden opportunity had just presented itself. With how tight lipped Julian usually was, she’d be foolish not to take it.
She squared her shoulders, portraying a confident image.
“Alright, I’ll help you. Under one condition.”
Julian’s eyes grew wary. “What?”
“After I help you find this demon, you tell me what’s really going on.”
Julian stiffened, clearly unhappy with her request. Raelyn felt her own body tense in response. If she ever wanted to get any real answers to the puzzle that was this mystery man, she had to be firm about it.
He already knew everything about her. It was time she learned a little more about him.
Chapter 25 - Julian
“Turn left, then make the next right,” Raelyn instructed.
Hineker steered the Range Rover down a tree-lined dirt road that led to a dead end. He brought the vehicle to a stop. The enforcer demon opened the passenger door and Julian extended his hand, helping Raelyn exit. The woman’s face was flushed, her forehead creased in concentration.
The demon master could only stare in awe at the amazing woman in front of him. When it came to detecting demonic magic, Hineker’s range was a quarter of a mile at best. Raelyn’s tracking ability was easily eight times greater than that.
&nb
sp; She looked up, her eyes focused on things that Julian couldn’t see. She remained fixated on the trees to their left.
“We’ll have to walk from here,” Raelyn said.
“After you,” Hineker gestured to the darkness beyond the trees.
She hesitated a moment, her fingers flew up to her neck, hovering by her throat. A wave of guilt washed over Julian. She’d almost been killed because of him. He moved forward and gently grasped her hand in his own. Stepping forward, she licked her lips.
“What’s going to happen?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly as she walked.
“I’ll kill it and eat its soul,” Hineker replied sardonically.
Raelyn shuddered at the comment. “But, what if it’s waiting for you?” She released her grip on Julian’s hand. He immediately missed the warmth of her touch. She stopped walking and her fingers flew up to her split lip. Julian could see her body tremble with fear.
“Or, what if it’s waiting for me?” Raelyn asked.
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe.” Julian wrapped his arms around Raelyn, offering comfort. She tucked into him perfectly. Her body fit against his own as if she always belonged there. He tightened his arms around her and her trembling subsided. He felt a surge of pride at providing her comfort.
He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head. “You won’t be getting anywhere near it. When we get close enough, Hineker will be able to pick up the trail and he’ll destroy it. You’ll come back with me.”
Raelyn nodded her head and she melted into his embrace. Julian tried to smother the butterflies in his stomach. He hated having to involve Raelyn. No way in hell was he bringing her any closer to the creature than he absolutely had to.
Raelyn took a deep breath and pulled away. She slipped her hand back into his. Keeping a tight grip she continued to lead them forward. The light of a silvery moon peeked through scattered clouds giving the area an otherworldly glow. Fallen leaves crunched underneath their feet as they walked. The sound was loud in the stillness of the night. The smell of pine and oak carried in the crisp night air. With each step forward Julian’s blood pressure climbed higher.
Finally, after what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, his demon mark picked up active demonic magic. Julian had never been so happy to feel the burn before. Now that Hineker was able to follow the creature’s trail they no longer needed Raelyn to be here.
“Master Julian?” Hineker asked, eagerly awaiting his master’s command. The demon’s eyes were two orbs of brilliant red in the night. His energy levels climbed, coiled with violence from within.
“Hineker, make it pay.”
The enforcer demon flashed a predatory grin that showed off a row of brilliant white teeth. The demon opened a portal and stepped out of sight. Julian hissed, his back burning hot from the burst of demonic magic.
“Julian?” Raelyn looked at him with concern.
“It’s nothing,” he squeezed her hand. “Let’s get you out of here.”
◆◆◆
Julian pulled Raelyn along back the way they had just come. She staggered, struggling to keep up with his fast pace.
“Julian,” she huffed, tripping over a branch. “Slow down.”
The irritation in her tone had him slowing his pace. “Sorry,” he said, apologetically. He wasn’t going to get Raelyn to the car any faster if she fell and hurt herself.
Storming out of the trees Julian breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the Range Rover. After loading Raelyn into the SUV, he pressed down on the gas. Dirt and gravel flew into the air as he quickly drove away from the woods.
With each mile that passed Julian felt the tension in his muscles recede. He would take Raelyn back to the hotel where they would wait for Hineker to return. Once the enforcer demon had disposed of the creature, Raelyn would be safe again. He breathed out a sigh of relief.
“So, a demon master.”
With those four little words, the tension in his muscles came right back. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in the car. He tried to buy himself some time to avoid the unspoken question.
“Let’s talk after we get back to the hotel.”
“The hotel? Go to my place, its closer.”
“No,” Julian shook his head. “The creature has already been to the funeral home once, I’m not taking any chance of it showing up there again. We go back to the hotel.”
Raelyn crossed her arms in front of her chest in protest but remained silent.
The drive to The Baldridge was quick and quiet. Julian had hoped that Raelyn would fall asleep, worn out from the exertion of using her abilities. Instead, with each passing mile, the tension in the air thickened. He swore he could hear the gears turning inside that pretty little head. His mind flashed back to the books in her apartment and Raelyn’s love of mysteries.
Here he was, a giant mystery waved right in front of her nose. It was too tempting to resist.
In his short time with Raelyn, he’d already learned that when she became interested in something, she devoted herself to it one hundred percent. He wouldn’t be able to avoid her questions forever, not after he’d promised. Julian bit the inside of his cheek. He pulled up to the valet and handed over the keys to the attendant. Raelyn followed Julian into the private elevator and up to his penthouse suite. Her continued silence caused the flutter of butterflies inside his stomach to turn into a swarm.
Once inside the suite, Raelyn took a seat on the plush leather couch.
“Want something to drink?” he asked.
“Water, please,” Raelyn requested.
In the kitchen he ran a hand towel under cold water, and collected a sparkling water for Raelyn. On his way back to the living room, he stopped at the wet bar and poured a glass of whiskey for himself.
He handed her the wet towel.
“For your lip.”
Raelyn winced when she placed the cold compress to her lip.
Julian’s guilt increased ten-fold. She was injured, and it was all his fault. If they’d found the demon sooner, Raelyn would never have gotten hurt.
He placed the sparkling water on the side table within her reach and took a seat in the armchair across from her. Silent tension filled the room like a charge in the air. He couldn’t put it off any longer.
“So,” Raelyn prompted, breaking the awkward silence.
Julian took a long drink and placed his glass on the table. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with talking about himself. However, he’d promised to tell her what was going on in exchange for her help. She’d held up her end of the bargain, now it was his turn.
“Hineker’s an enforcer demon.”
“Which means what, exactly?”
Julian paused, contemplating how much he should tell her.
“As you’ve already seen, humans aren’t the only creatures in existence. There are also demons. They call where we are right now the living realm and the place they come from, the underworld, is below us. It’s the job of enforcer demons, like Hineker, to destroy the demons that come to the living realm before they can cause too much damage.”
“How do they get here?”
“Demons can only visit the living realm when they are summoned. That person, the summoner, becomes the demon’s master.”
“And that’s what you are?”
“Yes,” Julian nodded grimly. “It’s my job to help Hineker with his enforcer demon duties. The hands that you’ve seen belong to the demon we’ve been hunting. The Chiranthodendron is a demon that takes the form of a tree with lots of hands that act as the creature’s eyes and ears.”
“And it’s how it kills.” Raelyn shuddered at the memory.
“Yes.”
Julian hissed as a black portal opened in the room.
“Is it over?” Julian asked the demon as he stepped out from the darkness.
“Yes, Master Julian,” Hineker grinned wickedly. “The Chrianthodendron planted itself near a cluster of evergreen trees. I ripped its
beating heart out from the center of its trunk. After snapping the branches and twigs, one by one, of course. Its screams produced the most beautiful sound as the creature burned.”
Raelyn shivered, there was no missing the bloodlust in the demon’s voice. She was glad that she hadn’t been there to witness the creature’s death.
Hineker moved to stand behind his master.
“What happens now?” she asked, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two.
“We’ll stay a few more days. See if we can find the demon’s master.”
“And if you don’t?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.” Picking up his glass, Julian drained the whiskey in one gulp, his stomach in knots. “Becoming a demon master is a painful process, no sane person would willingly go through it twice.”
He hated lying to Raelyn, but the fact that the demon master they were hunting this time around was likely insane and must be stopped wasn’t something that she really needed to know. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage her to help any more than she already had. It would be best if he broke things off now before one of them could develop the kind of feelings that led to someone getting hurt.
Hineker moved to refill Julian’s glass while Raelyn hummed in thought. Julian accepted the drink and drank almost half the glass before forcing himself to slow down. He knew exactly where this conversation was going and he dreaded it.
He longed to stay with her more than he wanted to admit. Sink into her sweet heat. Listen to her talk. Wake up with her in his arms. In the short time they’d spent together she’d somehow gotten under his skin. His heart stirred with something unfamiliar, a feeling that he’d never had for any woman before.
He was a demon master. He was different than most humans and so was she. She would understand his position, his lifelong responsibilities. She could help him. They could become a team and spend their lives together, supporting each other, loving each other.
His eyes raked over Raelyn’s split lip and her bruised neck. A wave of guilt washed over him.
No.
He slammed the door on his wayward thoughts. He’d already put her life in danger once because of who he was. He wouldn’t do it again.
Demon Aura Page 21
